Pyrotechnic composition



Patented Mar. 17, 1925. i i

PYROTECHNI 'MPOS'1TTON'.

No Drawing. Applicationfiled4r June 1S, 1924.- S'eral No. 720,828.

. l which in itself-- Beit-.known that I, HENRY- B. FABER, a i gives an alkaline reaction, but the by-prodcitizen ofthe United Stat-es, and Aa..resident ucts. of the reaction, other than thzatfo-f an. of; Brooklyn., in thev county of Kings. and monia, are also alkaline.v Ttisa knoxvn fact State of.1 NeWfYork, have invented certain that the speed of the reaction between fine-ly 6o new and useful Improvements in Pyrotechdivided aluminum and Water isincreased nic Compositions,r o-f which the following is. Withthe increased alkalinity Jof't'he' solution.

a, Specification. Gonsequently when. once theaction starts the My present invention relates to the manubyproducts of; this l reaction accelerate to.

facture ofthe pyrotechinc article called a greaterchemical activity thefbalance offthe.. 65 spa-rkler. This device is a short piece of materials. Sometimes six or eight hours iron Wire coated over with a silvered maelapse before any reaction starts, and then, terial about one-eighth of an inch thick, when once started, it seems to progress Which on being lighted throws out sparkles, rapidly until the entire mass has undergone very much like the sparks from a grinding a change. 70 Wheel. The composition which burns and Iii testing the Various materials iii this plOClUCeS llS elle@t l5 COmPOSeCl 0f fle-Xtllll composition I found that the magnesium and Water made into a thick syrup, into- Carbonate was noticeably alkaline.. Good- 'lllcll lS .lllCOlPOlLteCl {llulllllllllll POXVClQl'. gionfllly the tap 7313er used is alkaline. It

finely divided iro-n iIIlCl Steel l'lllllg's enel is likely that in almost all of the operations 7 barium nitrate. In Order GOA PlOClUCe the Cle Where this composition is used at some time sired elfect, magnesium carbonate is incoroiother an alkali is developed oitlioigy from porated in the miXtule. the materials used or from the Water. Con- Manufacturers have used this composi- Soqiiently my liiivontioii Consists in using d tion for a number of years and have been bud-orf which will Prevent the, develop- 80 troubled by What they lliWe Called fel ment of an alkaline reaction in the slurry. nll'ltlng. Often this C-OIHPO'SltlO'D lS Blade There are a nllllber Of buffers vvhgh up and Within three hours time it starts tq be used, which act only When the alkaline bubble and 13011 foammg up over the t0lD 0l' content of a mixture develops. Sodium acethe tub and generating a great deal of heat. tdtois Such a, buffon Ono of the most Suo- 85 Then this takes Pla@e the COmPOSltlOD ls le cessful buffers is calcium mono acid phosmoved from the building' and placed in the plinio This in itself is not Strongly acid yard out of danger. A considerable loss is but Will prevent the building up of a Strong sustained by this action. Many attempts alkaline reaction in a slurry in which it is To all whom t may conce-m.' not only produces ammonia,

have been made to put in materials to preused. I found that the trouble could be 90 vent fermentltlOl, WltllOUt StlSfCl-OTY held in check by the use of a buffer such as results. calcium phosphate, as mentioned above, in

There is a method in chemistry of deteran amount sufl'ilcient to act in the capacity mining nitrates called the Kjeldahl process, of a neutralizing agent for any alkali de 40 Which consists in reducing the nitrates to velopcd over a period of time suicient to 95 ammonia With hydrogen. Often the hydroinsure easy handling of thematerial in prac-A gen is generated by the action of Water on tice. This material is' inert as far as the fine-ly divided aluminum. In the sparkler pyrotechnic qualities of the slurry are concomposition, as stated above, there are prescerned. It Was not found desirable to elimient a nitrate, finely divided aluminum, and nate completely the magnesium carbonate 100 Water, all of the essentials to produce first and consequently calcium phosphate yWas hydrogen and later ammonia from the reused in an amount which Would counterbalduction of the nitrate, according to vthe ance the slight alkalinity present due to the Kj eldahl process. 'When the composition use of the magnesium carbonate, and further begins to boil and give off gas, a very no give to the slurry a distinct acid reaction 105 ticeable odor of ammonia is present, which during the period necessary for its use.

increases until it is very offensive. Alu- Out of the many soluble and insoluble minum acting on Water produces hydrogen mild acids and acid salts which We have in by the decomposition of the Water. This chemistry. all of which would serve in a y hydrogen reducing the nitrate of barium more or less satisfactory manner the above purpose, I have chosen calcium mono ph0sphate as the best example. c r

In the claims Where I have ment-ioned an alkali buler it isv understood that this refers to a buffer used against an akaline condition. y

The proportion of buffer .required will y vary between Wide limits, according to the specific materials used, but may be readily determined by one skilled in this art. A satisfactory proportion is found to be between 3 and 5% of the total weight of the dry composition, although, as stated above,

other p oportions may beused.

I claim:

, l. A pyrotechnic composition.including a finely divided metal, a substance capable of reacting therewith to alkaline material, andA a buffer in such '-TU amount as to maintain an acid reaction to Y aluminum form a gas, and an the mass, -whereby reaction between the finely divided metal and the irstmentioned substance is prevented. i

2. A pyrotechnic composition, including finely divided aluminum, a material having an alkaline reaction and moisture, and a buffer in such amount `as to'niaintain an acid reaction to the mass whereby reaction between thealuminum, an alkaliney reaction, and the moisture is prevented. y .n

3.. A pyrotechnic composition including powder, a nitrate, a carbonate, and water, and a material havingan acid v reactionysaid last named material being in sufiicient excess to impart a distinct acid reaction tothe entire'mixture. c c Y whereof, IA affix my signa- HENRY B. FABER.

Iny testimony ture.

the material having 

